Post by Cyrus Daniels on Aug 16, 2013 16:19:51 GMT
Nicole Kingsley sat in the passenger seat of the brand new black 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, its sheen still glistening from the showroom that she and Cyrus Daniels had picked it up from. Cyrus pulls up on the side of the road, and turns to her, taking a moment to process the vision in front of him as Nicole sat in suggestive Daisy Duke shorts, black leather boots and a simple yellow T-shirt. Her curled blonde hair hung around her shoulders and her pale blue eyes seemed to compliment her milky complexion as she smiled at him.
Cyrus Daniels himself was a picture of simplicity, wearing a simple grey T-shirt, black pants and black fingerless gloves and black shades. He was still gripping the steering wheel as he looked at her, and he grinned. It was the kind of devilish grin that made her quiver every time she was lucky enough to see it break through his hardened exterior, and given that Nicole was one of only a handful of people who had ever seen the big man smile, and she knew it, it made her feel that much more special.
Nicole: So...what do ya think?
Daniels: Ya never cease to amaze me, Nic...
Nicole: Likewise. You smiling is such a rare event that I'm amazed every time I see it.
Daniels: Yeah, well. I just mean a couple of months ago it was your brother's birthday and all he got from ya was a leather jacket. Ya bought me this and it ain't even my birthday...
Nicole just shrugs rather nonchalantly.
Nicole: That's the difference between when I do things last minute and when I do things on impulse, I guess.
Daniels: When I do things on impulse, people get hurt...
Nicole: I know, that's why I love you...
Here we are Crocodile Hunter, this is what its all been building towards ever since Lineage, ever since the end of the Prison Yard match. For the past twenty five days, you've had the question burning in the back of your mind, Why Cyrus, why? For the past two million, one hundred and sixty thousand seconds ya have been wondering why the man ya once considered a brother turned on ya. For ya, it has been thirty six thousand minutes of confusion and heartbreak as ya try and understand what the hell happened. For me it has been six hundred hours of ecstasy as I've been playin' hide the Crocodile with your baby sister.
You've always been a little slow on the uptake, haven't ya mate? And so many of your critics are just as surprised by this as you are about the fact that Criminal Intent came to a sudden, abrupt and unexpected end. I'm not, because I know ya Crocodile Hunter, I know ya, maybe even better than ya know yaself. I suppose when ya spend so much of your life huntin' purses ya havta be a little slow just ta keep up don't ya? I'm sure ya think that puts me at a major disadvantage this Sunday at Legacy. Wranglin' Crocs should mean that you're quite the expert at takin' down big lumberin' beasts like me, right?
If this match was happenin' a couple of months ago, say at Bloody Assizes and not at Legacy, it would have been a sound workin' theory, maybe it would even be enough to get ya the one thing that escapes ya in this business even more than common sense - the elusive dubya. A couple months ago I was nothin' more than a means ta an end for ya. Comin' inta this business was your idea, ya kept tellin' me how we could do it, how we could conquer this business and kick all kindsa ass and get paid for it and the best part about how it would all be legal and how nobody could touch us.
Of course, when ya put it like that I was gonna go for it, ya sold me on the promise of a new life, a fresh start, ya sold me on the American Dream, so then what happened Stephen? We came, we saw, we got nothin', and why? Because the suits of NCW saw so much more potential in ya than they did me. They left me on the sidelines and gave ya a run on your own after we failed to win the tag titles in that company too. Then ya sat there like a grinnin' idiot and told me "No worries mate, I got us in with a former NCW World Champ", and how by association, we'd be made the finally be made the superstars we deserved to be. Once again, I trusted ya, I trusted your judgment, had I known then that joinin' some bloke with kangaroos loose in his top paddock in some ridiculous Church Of Thor group would mean that I'd be reduced ta a cameo in all of Kanyon's promos, I'd have told him and ya ta take the whole idea and stick it up your jacksie.
So while ya sit there and try ta figure out where it all went wrong for ya, I'll sit here and prepare ta kick ya inta oblivion, 'cos Christ knows I've kicked myself enough times for listenin' ta ya, for believin' in ya, and for actually thinkin' your bonce was somethin' useful and not just somethin' ta hang your stupid little corked hat on. No more! I'm done with ya Crocodile Hunter, I've already shared a six by eight cell with ya for eighteen months because frankly I had no other choice, now I've shared sixteen months of mediocrity with ya waitin' for a change in our fortunes, a change ya always promised me but never delivered on. How long did ya expect this ta last Stephen? Honestly? I've already had one decade stolen from me...
I will not let ya take another from me.
This is about so much more than losing two shots at the IWF Tag Team Championships, that was always more your dream than mine Stephen. I am here to hurt someone, anyone, and this week it just so happens to be your turn mate. The only thing that disappoints me about this whole thing even more than the fact that after slapping The God Of Xtreme around, doing the same to you this Sunday feels anticlimactic, almost not worth it. We both know you are not a threat to me Crocodile Hunter, but by all means try and tell yourself that you are and that you can be. The only thing I have left to take from this match is the certainty that this is the end. After this, my career can really begin. In my old life as a caged animal, I had no choice but to be thrown in with you. In my new life, I have the freedom of choice. It has taken me a lot longer than it really should have to make this choice, but finally I realised that given the choice between a Kingsley who is a boob and one who has a pair of them, I will always choose Nicole. At least when she is out to screw me, she's honest about it and I actually enjoy it.
This Sunday it all ends. All the unfulfilled promises and wild stories, I shall entertain ya no longer mate. See in spite of your size and athleticism, your most natural gift is not as a wrestler, but rather as a storyteller. Ya don't deserve ta share the spotlight with me Crocodile Hunter, ya have piggy-backed on my reputation for long enough, ya did it all the time in the clink and nine times outta ten it saved your backside, didn't it? If it weren't for me lookin' out for ya ya wouldn't be here today mate, we both know that, don't we? I made ya, I gave ya the illusion of bein' a right Billy Badass, a dangerous Hunter and it was a nice cocoon behind bars, out here in the free world though, it doesn't seem ta serve ya aswell does it? Not when your out there on your own, bein' tested by the veterans in this business, men who have dedicated themselves ta their craft in a way ya never could.
[Blame me for all of this if ya want Crocodile Hunter if it makes ya feel any better about the fact that without a boat and a huntin' knife you're about as intimidatin' as a damn koala, but really ya should blame yaself. Every time we stepped through the curtain together, I watched your back, I did my part and it was ya who always let me down. People stepped up ta test ya between the ropes, ta see if their was a monster behind the muscle and when they figured out there wasn't, they laughed in your face and left ya lyin', but I'll tell ya right here and now mate, they were wrong. There was a monster behind your muscle, it just wasn't ya...
It was me.
The difference between ya and me Crocodile Hunter has never been more clear to me than it is now. When somebody challenges ya, ya stumble, falter and fumble, and when somebody challenges me, I step up and punch them right in the fuckin' face, ya should know that by now Stephen. So tell me, are ya challengin' me Crocodile Hunter? Are ya sure ya wanna do this? Do ya remember what happened the last time I was challenged one on one. Ya must, it wasn't that long ago. Last time, it was a God that thought he could challenge me and I ended up plantin' his mug inta the damn canvas. And when I was done with all that, I went home and fucked your sweet baby sister, Nicky. Don't even try ta pretend that you're bigger than God, but by all means continue ta pray for His mercy for ya ain't gonna be gettin' any from me on Sunday, mate.
Before ya kneel before your bed though, I want ya to answer me one question. What are ya fightin' for? Is it your baby sister or is it somethin' far more yawn inducing like your sense of pride and your dignity? I can tell ya right now mate that if it is the former, ya can save it. Nicole didn't betray ya, and neither did I. Ya betrayed us. Both of us. Ya made promises as a brother ya never lived up ta, just like ya made promises ta me as a tag team partner, and just like ya are makin' promises ta A Girl Has No Name even now. And if it is the latter, then it really is too little, too late.
Ya know what is really a slap ta my face in all this Stephen? The fact that I've literally spent - no wasted, I've literally wasted years of my life listenin' ta ya, everythin' ya ever said, whether it was another fanciful tale of some hunt or somethin' far more practical like what ta do with my life and new sense of freedom once I got out, and you never once listened ta me, I told ya Shielas were trouble, I told ya not ta mess with Debra, you're lucky Crocodile Hunter that ya really can't make it anywhere in your life, it doesn't matter if its in this business or with a woman, ya Stephen are utterly clueless and pathetic. For a split second I thought ya might be capable of surprisin' me by actually knockin' up that bird, but no, now you've had your little Maury moment and proven yourself ta be just as ineffectual a lover as ya are a wrestler and now ya don't even have the one thing that would have made people see ya a little differently around here anymore.
What do ya have left Stephen? Tell me honestly, 'cause I don't know. You lost us the tag titles. Ya lost your sister and ya lost your only friend in that locker-room, the only man who could stand ta be around ya and listen ta ya speak for more than five minutes at a time. What do ya have going inta this match? 'Cause it sure as hell ain't an ability ta beat me. What do ya have? A Girl Has No Name Robins? Maybe, but then she's never been the sharpest knife in the drawer either has she? See how long she continues ta put up with ya before she gets sick of scrapin' your pathetic husk off the mat after damn near every match, just like I did. Or maybe, just maybe, ya really do deserve each other 'cause your both content ta live day ta day wrapped up in dreams that you'll never reach because ya lack all that is necessary ta achieve them. The difference between us Crocodile Hunter is as stark as it is simple. Winners go home and fuck the losers sister, and losers only end up fuckin' themselves. I'm a winner Stephen, and ya, ya are a loser. Everybody else around here knows that already, and after Legacy, so will ya.
Honestly mate, I don't know what disappoints me more right now, the fact that I allowed myself to be taken for a mug by ya for so long, or the fact that its taken me this long ta finally realise that I really am better than all of this, better than ya and at Legacy, its time finally for me ta break the chain that binds us - the once unbreakable bond of brotherhood and trust that existed between us is now replaced by a string of broken promises and when I cut that string at Legacy once and for all and it finally starts ta dawn on ya from the sterilised comfort of a hospital bed just how much more than the match ya have lost, then and only then as you're forced to relieve yaself inta bed pan will ya find a new meanin' ta life. a new callin' and a whole new audience for your stories as all the sick children are brought up ta your ward just ta be entertained by your tales of wrestlin' nature's giants. They will smile, they will laugh and they will beg for more...
"Oh Please Mr Kingsley, tell us again about Cyrus the monster ya wrestled please..."
You'll sigh, you'll grit your teeth, you'll wince in pain and you'll curse me under your breath, but you'll tell the story. and you'll tell it over and over and over again, and you'll do it for once in your life without any exaggeration or embellishment because it just won't be necessary. The only thing that will make the whole thing that much more poetic is the fact that while ya lay there sucking up apple sauce through a straw, ya can at least take some small comfort in the fact that after the match, we'll both be getting our bodies thoroughly checked out by doctors. How about that Stephen? On Sunday I will get to fuck two Kingsleys in one night. One in public, one in private, one after the other, the only question now is which will I enjoy the most...
We're only a couple of days from finding out, ain't we mate?
Cyrus twitched slightly as he heard Nicole use the word 'love', it still unsettled him to hear it. Memories of the last woman to say it to him scratched at the corners of his mind, and to keep them at bay, he changed the subject abruptly.
Daniels: Ya know Nic, I still can't quite believe that ya come from a family of Crocodile Hunters, sometimes I have a hard time believin' ya and Stephen are related.
That made Nicole laugh and any time he managed to do that, she was quick to overlook the little things like him changing the subject to escape any further mention of the dreaded 'L' word.
Nicole: Ta be honest, sometimes I do too. Maybe its because I've always known I'm the smart one. We really ain't a family of Hunters, my family run a damn bar back home, so yeah. Huntin' Crocs is just some stupid macho hobby my brothers have.
Daniels: Brothers? Ya mean there's another bloke out there just like Stephen? I'm so sorry.
Nicole laughs again.
Nicole: Not just like Stephen, but yes. Bruce is a little smarter, only a little though.
Daniels: You've never mentioned him before.
Nicole: That's because there really ain't much ta tell. Ya probably know by now that I don't really get on with either of my brothers.
Daniels: Yes, I figured. The slap ya gave Stephen three weeks ago was my first clue, the only thing I don't know is why.
Nicole: Yes, well its kinda hard ta love your big brothers when both are idiots and one ends up goin' ta the big house for the other and nobody ever told ya what the hell happened 'till years down the line because you're just "Baby Nicky" and your far too young ta understand.
Cyrus raises an eyebrow.
Daniels: Wait, you're tellin' me that Stephen went ta prison for somethin' Bruce did?
Nicole nods.
Nicole: Yes, but it isn't as if Stephen is completely innocent. Both my brothers liked ta hunt, the only difference is that Stephen never managed ta get caught unless it was intentional, and bein' the protective big brother, he took the fall for Bruce, figurin' it'd only be six months and a slap on the wrist. Then he met ya and ya ended up triplin' his time 'cause of your little prison yard scuffle.
Cyrus Daniels looks away for a moment as he processes this new information. Information that made him see the man he thought he knew so well in a whole new light.
Daniels: I had no idea Nic, I'm sorry.
Nicole: No, don't be. The way I see it, Stephen would have gotten caught eventually anyway, besides its not your fault that my brother's an idiot...and even though I'll never forgive him for lyin' ta me for years and makin' me believe he really was guilty, maybe it was for the better, after all if he'd never ended up in the system, I'd never have met ya...
Daniels: Never forgive him? That's a bit harsh considerin' the crime, ain't it?
Nicole: Maybe it would be if this was just about huntin' Crocs ta me Cy, but it isn't. This is about somethin' I just can't do, drop my ethics, compromise my principles, because if I ever allow myself ta do that, people will die. Bruce let Stephen go ta prison and never took responsibility, he let Stephen serve the time, and Stephen did it because he thought he was bein' noble when really he was just bein' stupid.
Daniels: Wow, Nic, ya know some might say burnin' your bridges like that over never compromisin' your principles makes you a lousy sis...
Nicole: Maybe it does, but it also makes me a damn good doctor...
With that, Nicole brings the unpleasant conversation to a close, it was clear to Cyrus that she was not one to dwell on her past or ever second guess herself or any of the decisions she made, it was a quality he admired in her, so much so that he hoped he'd one day that he'd be able to emulate it himself to escape his own demons. Maybe one day, but not today.
Cyrus looked out on to the wide clear road ahead of him as he turned the key in the ignition and brought the truck out of its slumber. The engine roared as he gripped the steering wheel with both hands and took himself and Nicole on a journey, the destination was unknown to either of them, the only thing they knew was what they were each about to leave behind - their past...
Cyrus Daniels himself was a picture of simplicity, wearing a simple grey T-shirt, black pants and black fingerless gloves and black shades. He was still gripping the steering wheel as he looked at her, and he grinned. It was the kind of devilish grin that made her quiver every time she was lucky enough to see it break through his hardened exterior, and given that Nicole was one of only a handful of people who had ever seen the big man smile, and she knew it, it made her feel that much more special.
Nicole: So...what do ya think?
Daniels: Ya never cease to amaze me, Nic...
Nicole: Likewise. You smiling is such a rare event that I'm amazed every time I see it.
Daniels: Yeah, well. I just mean a couple of months ago it was your brother's birthday and all he got from ya was a leather jacket. Ya bought me this and it ain't even my birthday...
Nicole just shrugs rather nonchalantly.
Nicole: That's the difference between when I do things last minute and when I do things on impulse, I guess.
Daniels: When I do things on impulse, people get hurt...
Nicole: I know, that's why I love you...
Here we are Crocodile Hunter, this is what its all been building towards ever since Lineage, ever since the end of the Prison Yard match. For the past twenty five days, you've had the question burning in the back of your mind, Why Cyrus, why? For the past two million, one hundred and sixty thousand seconds ya have been wondering why the man ya once considered a brother turned on ya. For ya, it has been thirty six thousand minutes of confusion and heartbreak as ya try and understand what the hell happened. For me it has been six hundred hours of ecstasy as I've been playin' hide the Crocodile with your baby sister.
You've always been a little slow on the uptake, haven't ya mate? And so many of your critics are just as surprised by this as you are about the fact that Criminal Intent came to a sudden, abrupt and unexpected end. I'm not, because I know ya Crocodile Hunter, I know ya, maybe even better than ya know yaself. I suppose when ya spend so much of your life huntin' purses ya havta be a little slow just ta keep up don't ya? I'm sure ya think that puts me at a major disadvantage this Sunday at Legacy. Wranglin' Crocs should mean that you're quite the expert at takin' down big lumberin' beasts like me, right?
If this match was happenin' a couple of months ago, say at Bloody Assizes and not at Legacy, it would have been a sound workin' theory, maybe it would even be enough to get ya the one thing that escapes ya in this business even more than common sense - the elusive dubya. A couple months ago I was nothin' more than a means ta an end for ya. Comin' inta this business was your idea, ya kept tellin' me how we could do it, how we could conquer this business and kick all kindsa ass and get paid for it and the best part about how it would all be legal and how nobody could touch us.
Of course, when ya put it like that I was gonna go for it, ya sold me on the promise of a new life, a fresh start, ya sold me on the American Dream, so then what happened Stephen? We came, we saw, we got nothin', and why? Because the suits of NCW saw so much more potential in ya than they did me. They left me on the sidelines and gave ya a run on your own after we failed to win the tag titles in that company too. Then ya sat there like a grinnin' idiot and told me "No worries mate, I got us in with a former NCW World Champ", and how by association, we'd be made the finally be made the superstars we deserved to be. Once again, I trusted ya, I trusted your judgment, had I known then that joinin' some bloke with kangaroos loose in his top paddock in some ridiculous Church Of Thor group would mean that I'd be reduced ta a cameo in all of Kanyon's promos, I'd have told him and ya ta take the whole idea and stick it up your jacksie.
So while ya sit there and try ta figure out where it all went wrong for ya, I'll sit here and prepare ta kick ya inta oblivion, 'cos Christ knows I've kicked myself enough times for listenin' ta ya, for believin' in ya, and for actually thinkin' your bonce was somethin' useful and not just somethin' ta hang your stupid little corked hat on. No more! I'm done with ya Crocodile Hunter, I've already shared a six by eight cell with ya for eighteen months because frankly I had no other choice, now I've shared sixteen months of mediocrity with ya waitin' for a change in our fortunes, a change ya always promised me but never delivered on. How long did ya expect this ta last Stephen? Honestly? I've already had one decade stolen from me...
I will not let ya take another from me.
This is about so much more than losing two shots at the IWF Tag Team Championships, that was always more your dream than mine Stephen. I am here to hurt someone, anyone, and this week it just so happens to be your turn mate. The only thing that disappoints me about this whole thing even more than the fact that after slapping The God Of Xtreme around, doing the same to you this Sunday feels anticlimactic, almost not worth it. We both know you are not a threat to me Crocodile Hunter, but by all means try and tell yourself that you are and that you can be. The only thing I have left to take from this match is the certainty that this is the end. After this, my career can really begin. In my old life as a caged animal, I had no choice but to be thrown in with you. In my new life, I have the freedom of choice. It has taken me a lot longer than it really should have to make this choice, but finally I realised that given the choice between a Kingsley who is a boob and one who has a pair of them, I will always choose Nicole. At least when she is out to screw me, she's honest about it and I actually enjoy it.
This Sunday it all ends. All the unfulfilled promises and wild stories, I shall entertain ya no longer mate. See in spite of your size and athleticism, your most natural gift is not as a wrestler, but rather as a storyteller. Ya don't deserve ta share the spotlight with me Crocodile Hunter, ya have piggy-backed on my reputation for long enough, ya did it all the time in the clink and nine times outta ten it saved your backside, didn't it? If it weren't for me lookin' out for ya ya wouldn't be here today mate, we both know that, don't we? I made ya, I gave ya the illusion of bein' a right Billy Badass, a dangerous Hunter and it was a nice cocoon behind bars, out here in the free world though, it doesn't seem ta serve ya aswell does it? Not when your out there on your own, bein' tested by the veterans in this business, men who have dedicated themselves ta their craft in a way ya never could.
[Blame me for all of this if ya want Crocodile Hunter if it makes ya feel any better about the fact that without a boat and a huntin' knife you're about as intimidatin' as a damn koala, but really ya should blame yaself. Every time we stepped through the curtain together, I watched your back, I did my part and it was ya who always let me down. People stepped up ta test ya between the ropes, ta see if their was a monster behind the muscle and when they figured out there wasn't, they laughed in your face and left ya lyin', but I'll tell ya right here and now mate, they were wrong. There was a monster behind your muscle, it just wasn't ya...
It was me.
The difference between ya and me Crocodile Hunter has never been more clear to me than it is now. When somebody challenges ya, ya stumble, falter and fumble, and when somebody challenges me, I step up and punch them right in the fuckin' face, ya should know that by now Stephen. So tell me, are ya challengin' me Crocodile Hunter? Are ya sure ya wanna do this? Do ya remember what happened the last time I was challenged one on one. Ya must, it wasn't that long ago. Last time, it was a God that thought he could challenge me and I ended up plantin' his mug inta the damn canvas. And when I was done with all that, I went home and fucked your sweet baby sister, Nicky. Don't even try ta pretend that you're bigger than God, but by all means continue ta pray for His mercy for ya ain't gonna be gettin' any from me on Sunday, mate.
Before ya kneel before your bed though, I want ya to answer me one question. What are ya fightin' for? Is it your baby sister or is it somethin' far more yawn inducing like your sense of pride and your dignity? I can tell ya right now mate that if it is the former, ya can save it. Nicole didn't betray ya, and neither did I. Ya betrayed us. Both of us. Ya made promises as a brother ya never lived up ta, just like ya made promises ta me as a tag team partner, and just like ya are makin' promises ta A Girl Has No Name even now. And if it is the latter, then it really is too little, too late.
Ya know what is really a slap ta my face in all this Stephen? The fact that I've literally spent - no wasted, I've literally wasted years of my life listenin' ta ya, everythin' ya ever said, whether it was another fanciful tale of some hunt or somethin' far more practical like what ta do with my life and new sense of freedom once I got out, and you never once listened ta me, I told ya Shielas were trouble, I told ya not ta mess with Debra, you're lucky Crocodile Hunter that ya really can't make it anywhere in your life, it doesn't matter if its in this business or with a woman, ya Stephen are utterly clueless and pathetic. For a split second I thought ya might be capable of surprisin' me by actually knockin' up that bird, but no, now you've had your little Maury moment and proven yourself ta be just as ineffectual a lover as ya are a wrestler and now ya don't even have the one thing that would have made people see ya a little differently around here anymore.
What do ya have left Stephen? Tell me honestly, 'cause I don't know. You lost us the tag titles. Ya lost your sister and ya lost your only friend in that locker-room, the only man who could stand ta be around ya and listen ta ya speak for more than five minutes at a time. What do ya have going inta this match? 'Cause it sure as hell ain't an ability ta beat me. What do ya have? A Girl Has No Name Robins? Maybe, but then she's never been the sharpest knife in the drawer either has she? See how long she continues ta put up with ya before she gets sick of scrapin' your pathetic husk off the mat after damn near every match, just like I did. Or maybe, just maybe, ya really do deserve each other 'cause your both content ta live day ta day wrapped up in dreams that you'll never reach because ya lack all that is necessary ta achieve them. The difference between us Crocodile Hunter is as stark as it is simple. Winners go home and fuck the losers sister, and losers only end up fuckin' themselves. I'm a winner Stephen, and ya, ya are a loser. Everybody else around here knows that already, and after Legacy, so will ya.
Honestly mate, I don't know what disappoints me more right now, the fact that I allowed myself to be taken for a mug by ya for so long, or the fact that its taken me this long ta finally realise that I really am better than all of this, better than ya and at Legacy, its time finally for me ta break the chain that binds us - the once unbreakable bond of brotherhood and trust that existed between us is now replaced by a string of broken promises and when I cut that string at Legacy once and for all and it finally starts ta dawn on ya from the sterilised comfort of a hospital bed just how much more than the match ya have lost, then and only then as you're forced to relieve yaself inta bed pan will ya find a new meanin' ta life. a new callin' and a whole new audience for your stories as all the sick children are brought up ta your ward just ta be entertained by your tales of wrestlin' nature's giants. They will smile, they will laugh and they will beg for more...
"Oh Please Mr Kingsley, tell us again about Cyrus the monster ya wrestled please..."
You'll sigh, you'll grit your teeth, you'll wince in pain and you'll curse me under your breath, but you'll tell the story. and you'll tell it over and over and over again, and you'll do it for once in your life without any exaggeration or embellishment because it just won't be necessary. The only thing that will make the whole thing that much more poetic is the fact that while ya lay there sucking up apple sauce through a straw, ya can at least take some small comfort in the fact that after the match, we'll both be getting our bodies thoroughly checked out by doctors. How about that Stephen? On Sunday I will get to fuck two Kingsleys in one night. One in public, one in private, one after the other, the only question now is which will I enjoy the most...
We're only a couple of days from finding out, ain't we mate?
Cyrus twitched slightly as he heard Nicole use the word 'love', it still unsettled him to hear it. Memories of the last woman to say it to him scratched at the corners of his mind, and to keep them at bay, he changed the subject abruptly.
Daniels: Ya know Nic, I still can't quite believe that ya come from a family of Crocodile Hunters, sometimes I have a hard time believin' ya and Stephen are related.
That made Nicole laugh and any time he managed to do that, she was quick to overlook the little things like him changing the subject to escape any further mention of the dreaded 'L' word.
Nicole: Ta be honest, sometimes I do too. Maybe its because I've always known I'm the smart one. We really ain't a family of Hunters, my family run a damn bar back home, so yeah. Huntin' Crocs is just some stupid macho hobby my brothers have.
Daniels: Brothers? Ya mean there's another bloke out there just like Stephen? I'm so sorry.
Nicole laughs again.
Nicole: Not just like Stephen, but yes. Bruce is a little smarter, only a little though.
Daniels: You've never mentioned him before.
Nicole: That's because there really ain't much ta tell. Ya probably know by now that I don't really get on with either of my brothers.
Daniels: Yes, I figured. The slap ya gave Stephen three weeks ago was my first clue, the only thing I don't know is why.
Nicole: Yes, well its kinda hard ta love your big brothers when both are idiots and one ends up goin' ta the big house for the other and nobody ever told ya what the hell happened 'till years down the line because you're just "Baby Nicky" and your far too young ta understand.
Cyrus raises an eyebrow.
Daniels: Wait, you're tellin' me that Stephen went ta prison for somethin' Bruce did?
Nicole nods.
Nicole: Yes, but it isn't as if Stephen is completely innocent. Both my brothers liked ta hunt, the only difference is that Stephen never managed ta get caught unless it was intentional, and bein' the protective big brother, he took the fall for Bruce, figurin' it'd only be six months and a slap on the wrist. Then he met ya and ya ended up triplin' his time 'cause of your little prison yard scuffle.
Cyrus Daniels looks away for a moment as he processes this new information. Information that made him see the man he thought he knew so well in a whole new light.
Daniels: I had no idea Nic, I'm sorry.
Nicole: No, don't be. The way I see it, Stephen would have gotten caught eventually anyway, besides its not your fault that my brother's an idiot...and even though I'll never forgive him for lyin' ta me for years and makin' me believe he really was guilty, maybe it was for the better, after all if he'd never ended up in the system, I'd never have met ya...
Daniels: Never forgive him? That's a bit harsh considerin' the crime, ain't it?
Nicole: Maybe it would be if this was just about huntin' Crocs ta me Cy, but it isn't. This is about somethin' I just can't do, drop my ethics, compromise my principles, because if I ever allow myself ta do that, people will die. Bruce let Stephen go ta prison and never took responsibility, he let Stephen serve the time, and Stephen did it because he thought he was bein' noble when really he was just bein' stupid.
Daniels: Wow, Nic, ya know some might say burnin' your bridges like that over never compromisin' your principles makes you a lousy sis...
Nicole: Maybe it does, but it also makes me a damn good doctor...
With that, Nicole brings the unpleasant conversation to a close, it was clear to Cyrus that she was not one to dwell on her past or ever second guess herself or any of the decisions she made, it was a quality he admired in her, so much so that he hoped he'd one day that he'd be able to emulate it himself to escape his own demons. Maybe one day, but not today.
Cyrus looked out on to the wide clear road ahead of him as he turned the key in the ignition and brought the truck out of its slumber. The engine roared as he gripped the steering wheel with both hands and took himself and Nicole on a journey, the destination was unknown to either of them, the only thing they knew was what they were each about to leave behind - their past...
Well howdy there pardner.